Advanced Television

Pay TV

Pay-TV content war

From David Del Valle in Madrid The main Spanish pay-TV operators Digital Plus (DTH), ONO (cable) and Imagenio (IPTV) are strengthening their programming line-up in a tough fight for capturing new subscribers. They are upgrading their TV packages with the addition of new TV channels and services. Digital Plus is launching the local TV channel […]

January 9, 2008

DTV penetration 43% in 2012

The proportion of digital TV subscribers worldwide is predicted to exceed 40 per cent by 2012 according to a report by the Korea Information Society Development Institute. The report said the current rate is 22 per cent with 239 million subscribers and the number will exceed 43 per cent with 540 million by 2012. North […]

January 7, 2008

CCTV launches HD

China’s Central Television (CCTV) has commenced the launch of its high definition TV services. The service rolled out on 1st January, will first broadcast in Beijing, and then throughout the country over the next few years. The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television has unveiled the technical standards to receive the HD channels signals. […]

January 4, 2008

Discovery joins the Picnic

Discovery Networks UK is to offer a factual channel on Picnic TV, the new pay-TV service that Sky proposes to launch on UK digital terrestrial television. Discovery becomes the second third-party broadcaster to join the proposed service following confirmation that Disney would become the channel provider for children's entertainment. The Discovery Channel will be available […]

January 4, 2008

Turner brands for Mobix

Turner Broadcasting System and Mobix have launched three of Turner's most popular brands as on-portal video-on-demand propositions and via Sky's mobile TV pack. Following on from the successful broadcast launch of the country's leading lad's mag on Freeview, Nuts TV is now available to all operators as a mobile TV channel. Also available as an […]

January 4, 2008

Widevine partners with Digital Latin America

Digital Latin America, provider of digital content and applications for Latin America, and Widevine Technologies, provider of multiformat, multiplatform content protection and watermarking solutions, have partnered to secure content for digital pay-TV operators throughout Latin America. Widevine will encrypt and watermark content that DLA delivers to 23 countries to fulfil content owners‚ requirements for licensing […]

December 31, 2007

NDS, Kaon support ASTER

NDS, provider of technology solutions for digital pay-TV, has joined forces with Kaonmedia (Kaon) to deliver digital set-top boxes (STB) and DVRs, including a DVR for viewing in High Definition, to ASTER, a provider of media and communication services in Poland.

December 31, 2007

Sky expands leading movie download service

Sky is to significantly increase the range of movies available for customers to download after agreeing terms with Paramount and Warner Bros. The agreements mean that Sky Anytime on PC will be the first online download service to offer the latest movies from all six major movie studios.

December 24, 2007

Prisa bids for Sogecable

From David Del Valle in Madrid The Spanish media group Prisa, owner of newspaper El Pais, has launched a bid for the rest of Sogecable, Spain’s largest pay-TV group, that it does not already own, valuing the pay-TV operator, owner of Digital DTH platform Digital Plus and premium channel Canal Plus, at E3.8 billion. Prisa […]

December 21, 2007

Vivendi in Canal Plus for long haul

The chief executive of Vivendi has dismissed renewed talk on that his group may sell pay-TV unit Canal Plus. The statement followed speculation that the French media giant might exit Canal Plus in order to buy telecom operator Neuf Cegetel and so avoid possible competition issues. Vivendi has a 56 per cent stake in mobile […]

December 20, 2007